HODGSON WARY OF DI MICHELE THREAT
Roy Hodgson believes that West Ham’s new striker David Di Michele is like Italian legends Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.
The Fulham manager coached Di Michele while at Udinese seven years ago, and is surprised that Torino have loaned the six-cap Azzurri star to West Ham, who go to Fulham on Saturday.
Fulham have not beaten the Hammers at home in the league since 1966, and Hodgson reckons they will have to stop Di Michele to buck the trend.
"He is a very skillful player and someone who is very adept in front of goal," Hodgson said of the 32-year-old hitman, who scored a match-winning brace last weekend on his debut against Newcastle United.
"He is very good at sniffing out goal chances and then taking them because he has very good technique and manipulates the ball very well.
"I have been surprised by his career in some respects that he has moved on so many times - he has had a lot of clubs. With the talent he has you would have expected him to be like a Del Piero or a Baggio.
"He is a good signing for West Ham and he has started off like a house on fire. We shall be very aware of his goal-scoring ability and we will try to make it hard for him to find the space he needs. But we will have a job on our hands."
And Hodgson is hopeful that his own new signing, Bobby Zamora, is ready to show his old club what they are missing.
"He was highly rated at Upton Park and I spoke to [ex-manager] Alan Curbishley very recently and he said that he was very disappointed that he had to let Bobby go," continued Hodgson.
"Whenever players play against their old club they always have that extra bit of spring in their step. I’ve been very impressed with him, with his attitude.
"Bobby is very keen to be here, keen to work and interested in what we do tactically. So far he has very much been the player thought I was signing."
Roy Hodgson believes that West Ham’s new striker David Di Michele is like Italian legends Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.
The Fulham manager coached Di Michele while at Udinese seven years ago, and is surprised that Torino have loaned the six-cap Azzurri star to West Ham, who go to Fulham on Saturday.
Fulham have not beaten the Hammers at home in the league since 1966, and Hodgson reckons they will have to stop Di Michele to buck the trend.
"He is a very skillful player and someone who is very adept in front of goal," Hodgson said of the 32-year-old hitman, who scored a match-winning brace last weekend on his debut against Newcastle United.
"He is very good at sniffing out goal chances and then taking them because he has very good technique and manipulates the ball very well.
"I have been surprised by his career in some respects that he has moved on so many times - he has had a lot of clubs. With the talent he has you would have expected him to be like a Del Piero or a Baggio.
"He is a good signing for West Ham and he has started off like a house on fire. We shall be very aware of his goal-scoring ability and we will try to make it hard for him to find the space he needs. But we will have a job on our hands."
And Hodgson is hopeful that his own new signing, Bobby Zamora, is ready to show his old club what they are missing.
"He was highly rated at Upton Park and I spoke to [ex-manager] Alan Curbishley very recently and he said that he was very disappointed that he had to let Bobby go," continued Hodgson.
"Whenever players play against their old club they always have that extra bit of spring in their step. I’ve been very impressed with him, with his attitude.
"Bobby is very keen to be here, keen to work and interested in what we do tactically. So far he has very much been the player thought I was signing."
Labels: David Di Michele, Fulham, Premier League, Roy Hodgson, West Ham United
